


Interlinked

by Festiveviolet31



Category: The Man From U.N.C.L.E. (2015)
Genre: Aftermath of Violence, Mild Language
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-22
Updated: 2017-11-22
Packaged: 2019-02-05 09:02:52
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 942
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12791238
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Festiveviolet31/pseuds/Festiveviolet31
Summary: "A weaker man may not have made it out alive, but Illya has never been a weak man." In the aftermath of violence, Gaby and Illya share a moment of tenderness.





	Interlinked

“Careful, Cowboy.”

It’s one of the few things Illya can manage to say in English. Frankly, Gaby has never heard him so vocal before, normally a man of Russian stoicism and few words. Tonight, though, Russian curses fly out of him, too fast for Gaby to keep track of.

“I _am_ being careful. _You_ need to stay still.” Napoleon is angled carefully over the Russian, a needle and medical thread between his thumb and pointer finger and his jaw tight.

“Is not my fault that you are not trustworthy,” Illya hisses back.

“Well it’s not my fault that you got your face broken in two by a-”

“Quiet, both of you!” Gaby barks at them. Napoleon’s face snaps toward her with rapt attention, and she wonders if she can see the slightest bit of stress in his eyes. She also sees Illya try and turn toward her before recoiling back, his mouth twisting in pain.

“Damnit,” Napoleon mutters. “We just got this to close up again.” He places a damp rag against Illya’s left brow bone, the red gash cutting through his eyebrow beginning to seep blood. It’s the worst Gaby has ever seen him, she thinks, assessing his wounds from head to toe. He is covered in red and purple bruises where knuckles repeatedly met skin; his jaw is swollen, his knuckles and lower lip are split open. A weaker man may not have made it out alive, but Illya has never been a weak man.

It was the first time on any of their missions as a team that Gaby had truly felt afraid. She had feared deeply for both Solo and Illya in Rome, had wondered if she would be the reason for either of their deaths. Since becoming a team, or whatever they were, however, Gaby had always felt like they’d possessed the upper hand. _I only play games I feel we have a real shot at winning_ , Waverly had once told her after their mission briefing in Istanbul.

This wasn’t Istanbul, though. This had been a close call, too close a call in Gaby’s mind. Briefly, her mind goes to the _what ifs_ , the possible outcomes if she hadn’t interceded with bullets in the hand-to-hand combat between Illya and a British mobster that somehow managed to tower over even her Russian partner.

“Fuck _you_ , Cowboy!”

Gaby snaps back to attention to see Solo’s first attempt to stitch up their comrade, one pass of the needle through Illya’s skin. His eyes are black, his mouth twisted angrily. Gaby sees a line of sweat forming on Illya’s hairline and notices his hands clutching against the bed where he is seated, his knuckles white with tension.

“I can’t do this, Peril, if you don’t calm down!” Napoleon snaps back, his voice raising. The veins in Illya’s arm bulge as Russian words start to flow out of his mouth again, and Solo rolls his eyes. “That’s right Peril, keep talking big. It’s what got you into this mess in the first place.”

The bedframe rattles as Illya pounds his fist against it, but surprisingly, Gaby doesn’t hear anymore from him. Her eyes glance to his to find they are squeezed shut, his mouth pressed into a hard line. With a nod, Solo turns back to the work of stitching up Illya’s wounds as Gaby turns to their third partner.

“Illya.” It’s only slightly louder than a whisper. Gaby feels as if she’s a child again, beckoning to the alley cats she’d chased down cobbled streets and into shadows. _Here, kitty kitty,_ she had called to the skittish animals as a young girl, and she’s surprised at how similar her voice still sounds now.

"Illya,” she repeats again softly, edging closer to him on the end of the bed. His eyes remain shut, but Gaby can see the muscles in his face twitching slightly. She hears a sound from the back of his throat too, almost a whimper, too quiet for even Solo to hear. She edges even closer until there is little space left between them.

“Illya,” she breathes a third time. “Can I please hold your hand?”

His eyes flash open to hers, wide and surprised. They stay like that for a moment before a tug from Solo causes Illya to hiss with pain again. He turns back to her, searching her eyes with his. Gaby holds his gaze. Eventually, he nods submission to her, and she scoots even closer until their shoulders are touching. Gently and slowly, she takes Illya’s large, worn hand in both of hers, rubbing her thumbs against his palms and the pads of his fingers. If Solo notices, he doesn’t let on, making slow progress on the gash above Illya’s eye.

They sit like that for several minutes, silence between the three of them. Eventually, Gaby sees Illya’s eyes flutter shut. After several moments, he flips his hand so that Gaby’s palm is in his. He pulls it toward his chest, holding their hands in place. Beneath his black sweater, Gaby can feel Illya’s heart beating, elevated but not dangerous, and she breathes loudly, hoping that maybe the Russian can feel her.

Eventually, Solo finishes his work, placing a pad of gauze against the newly sealed wound and taping it in place. He doesn’t say anything as he packs up their shared medical kit and turns toward the bathroom. Gaby doesn’t say anything either. Illya’s eyes are still closed, but she feels his heartbeat even out beneath her palm. They remain like that long after Solo washes his hands and leaves the hotel suite, seated on the edge of the bed, their hands tangled together.

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> I've been stuck in a writer's rut for a while. I'm not sure if I'm even out of it, but this is the first thing I've written for this fandom in a while that I don't dislike. Also, please have grace for me as I am *still* trying to work out formatting issues. 
> 
> As always, please leave any criticisms, questions, or suggestions. Thanks for reading. I like you guys in this fandom a lot :)


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